Every Sydneysider thinks their local Thai restaurant is the best, but Glebe residents may just have the edge thanks to Tom-Yum Tum-Gang. Well, depending on what you’re looking for. 

Every neighbourhood needs a reliable Thai restaurant. For Potts Point, it’s Llankelly Thai. The laneway restaurant is perfect for when you and your mates desperately need a catch-up but you’re all on a budget. 

Newtown is home to plenty of institutions and up there with the best is Thai Pothong — a destination restaurant that’s been drawing in couples on dates, groups of mates sharing a banquet and boisterous twenty-firsts for over two decades.

Dodee Paidang has managed to grow to over six different locations across Sydney and Melbourne without losing a speck of quality. The menu is vast — made up of classics and more niche regional dishes — and the chefs don’t hold back on the heat. 

This beloved Sydney Thai restaurant prides itself on serving authentic Thai street food that hasn’t been watered down or sweetened up for the more basic diners out there. And yes, that does mean the spice factor is no joke. 

Strap yourself in for a creative feast of fusion flavours at Darlinghurst’s modern Thai eatery. Like its contemporaries, Chin Chin and Long Chim, Restaurant Moon has moved beyond the cheap and cheerful to create a more refined offering.

Spice I Am almost sounds like a challenge, or at least a state of mind. But don’t be scared off if you’re not the biggest spicy food lover. Only a few dishes are lethally hot, like the tom klong – roasted fish submerged in a spicy and sour soup. 

Viand’s head chef Annita Potter is driven by the sensory pleasure of eating — something that’s clearly evident throughout the dining experience. Dishes are served up like miniature works of art.

Alphabet Street is where to go for an upmarket Thai meal in the Shire. Leaning more towards the upper end of the spectrum than your standard Thai establishment, this venue specialises in flavoursome small bites designed to share.

There are heaps of Thai restaurants in Sydney, but Macquarie Park’s Khao Pla is in a league of its own. It serves up modern dishes that span culinary regions from all over Thailand, made with local and seasonal Aussie produce. 

Located in Sydney’s food capital of Haymarket, Porkfat stands out as an elegant alternative to Sydney’s often hectic and dressed-down Thai dining scene. The flavours come from the owner’s hometown of Saraburi in central Thailand.

Chat Thai is the worst kept secret amongst Sydney’s Thai community. With a focus on Thai street food and dishes that are meant to be for Thai palates only, Chat Thai was meant to be a Thai person’s Thai restaurant.